Heel and method of covering the same



Nov. 8, 1938. w. H. NUTT 271359673 I HEEL AND METHOD OF COVERING THESAME Filed May 28, 1937 Ffi 52 Patented Nov. 8, 1938 PATENT OFFICE HEELAND METHOD OF COVERING THE SAME William H. Nutt, Beverly, Mass, assignorto United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 28, 1937, Serial No.145,319

6 Claims.

'Thisinvention relates to the manufacture of shoes and is-illustrated asembodied in a novel heel and with reference 'to improvements in coveringthe same.

In covering wood heels of the Louis type, it is common practice to coatthe edge portions of the heel with pyroxylin cement and then to apply aCelluloid cover, which has been activated by-a suitable solvent, to therear and side faces of the heel, the forward projectingmargins of thecover being inturned on and secured to the lateral margins of the heelbreast. In view of the fact that the leather heel-breast-covering flapof the shoe to which the heel is attached cannot be effectively securedto the inturned margins of the Celluloid cover on the heel breastthrough the use of rubber cement, which is better adapted for thispurpose than pyroxylin cemenhand in order to prevent the formation ofridges in. the heel breast of the finished shoe where theheel-breast-covering flap overlies the edges of the inturned margins ofthe Celluloid cover, it is common practice totrim the inturned marginsof the cover flush with correspondingbreast edges of the heel after thecover has dried thoroughly andbefore attaching the heel to the shoe.After the heel has been attached to the shoe, the heel-breast-coveringflap is secured to the breast of the heel by the use of rubber cement.When heels are covered as above described, it hasfbeen found that theCelluloid cover of the finished shoe frequently breaks away from thesides of the'heel along its breast edges. Such defect maybe the resultof the wearer sliding the breast edges of the heel of the shoe alongrungs of chairs or other objects, or may be caused by the failure of theoperator properly to coat the entire edge portions of the heel withpyroxylin cement before attaching the Celluloid cover to the heel.'

In order to overcome the above-mentioned defeet in Celluloid-coveredheels, I have provided a heel having in each lateral margin of itsbreast a plurality of shallow cover-receiving recesses which are spacedfrom each other and intersect a corresponding side of the heel. In orderto secure the activated Celluloid cover to the heel, the operatorapplies a film of pyroxylin cement to the edge portions of the heel and,after applying the cover to the rear and side faces of the heel andforcing the forward projecting margins of the cover against the lateralmargins of the heel breast and into the recesses formed in the breast,trims the inturned margins of the cover flush with the breast edges/ofthe heel, leaving portions of the inturned marginsof the cover securedin therecesses. The inturned margins of the cover which are securedWithin the recesses serve to counteract the above-mentioned tendency ofthe cover to pull away from the forward 5 margins of the sides of theheel.

The'various features of the invention will be understood and appreciatedfrom the following detailed description, read in connection with theaccompanying drawing.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an uncovered wood heel of the Louis typehaving in the lateral margins of its breast a plurality of spacedrecesses intersecting corresponding sides of the heel, the margin of theattaching face of the heel being provided with a plurality of recesseswhich terminate at the rim of said attaching face;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the heel of Fig. 1 in the process ofhaving its cover applied;

Fig. 3illustrates the heel of Fig. 2 after its cover has been applied,in the process of having the forward margins of said cover trimmed flushwith the breast edges of the heel, leaving portions of the cover whichare secured within the recesses formed within the breast, secured to theheel;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV--IV of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the attaching face of the heel after thetop inturned margin of the cover has been trimmed, leaving portions ofsaid margin secured in the recesses formed in the margin of theattaching face.

The invention is illustrated with reference to a wood heel 20 of theLouis type to which a Celluloid cover 22 (Fig. 4) is to be applied. Thelateral margins of the breast 24 of the heel are provided with recesses26, each of which intersects a corresponding side of the heel and has adepth not greater than the thickness of the cover 22. The margin of theattaching face of the heel is provided with a plurality of spacedrecesses 28, the outer ends of which terminate at the rim of theattaching face 32 of the heel.

reparatory to attaching the cover 22 to the heel, the marginal portionsof the heel which are located adjacent to the breast edges 34 and therim of the attaching face 32, including the recesses 26 and 28, arecoated with pyroxylin 50 cement. After the cover 22 has been activatedin a bath of acetone or other suitable solvent, it is applied to therear and side faces of the heel, the forward projecting margins 36 ofthe cover being inturned upon and secured to the 55 lateral margins ofthe breast 34 and also being forced into the recesses 26. The top margin38 (Fig. 2) of the cover may be inturned upon and secured to the marginof the attaching face 32 of the heel, including the recesses 28, Whilethe margins 36 are being applied to the heel breast, or may be appliedto the attaching face of the heel either before or after applying theforward margins to the heel breast. The cover may be applied to the heelby hand or by the use of the machine disclosed in Letters Patent of theUnited States No. 2,119,840, granted June 7, 1938 on an applicationfiled in the name of Lewis J. Bazzoni. Covers applied to heels by theuse of the abovementioned machine are forced by a rubber pad (not shown)against the heel, the arrangement being such that the forward and topmargins 38 and 38 of the covers are effectively secured within therecesses 26 and 28, respectively, as the cover is applied to the heel.After the cover applied to the heel has dried, the margins 36 of thecover inturned upon the breast 24 of the heel are trimmed flush withcorresponding breast edges 34 of the heel by the use of a machine such,for example, as disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. ,84,6 granted December 1, 1931, on an application filed in the name ofCharles G. Brostrom, leaving the portionsor tabs (Figs-3 and 4) of theinturned margins 36 secured within the respective recesses 26. Theconstruction of the above-mentioned machine, which comprises a bandknife 35 (Fig. 3), is fully disclosed in said Letters Patent No.1,834,677. r r 7 After the top margin 38 of the cover 22 has i beeninturned upon and secured to the attaching face 32 of the heel, it istrimmed by the use of a hand knife or themachine disclosed in theabove-mentioned Letters Patent No. 1,834,677,

just within the rim of the attaching face, the portions of the margin ortabs 42 (Fig. 5)nsecured 'within the recesses 28 being left in orderto'insure that the cover will be held securely in place on the rim 30 ofthe attaching face 32 during the life of the shoe to which the heel isattached. By providing the tabs 42, it is possible to trim the inturnedtop margin'38 of the cover just, within the rim 3!] of the attachingface, thereby exposing substantially the entire attaching face of theoriginal wood heel for heel-attaching purposes. V

The recesses 26 and 28 are preferably cut to a depth slightly less thanthe thickness of the cover, which is stretched slightly during itsapplication to the heel, the tabs 40 being trimmed flush with the breastof the heel' to insure that no depression will appear in the heel breastof the finished shoe.

In order to insure that the breast of the heel of they finished shoeshall havea shape substantially the same as that of the uncovered breastof the heel, leather covers or covers of'various other materials may beadvantageouslyapplied to heels in the manner above described inconnection with Celluloid covers. 7 g

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

A heel having in each lateral margin of its breast a plurality ofshallow cover-receiving recesses which are spaced from each other andintersect a corresponding side of the heel.

2. A heel having in the lateral margins of its breast a plurality ofsmall recesses which are spaced heightwise of the heel, intersectcorresponding sides of the heel, and are of a depth not greater than thethickness of a coverto be applied to the heel. 7

3. A heel having in the lateral margins of its breast a plurality ofrecesses intersecting corresponding sides of the heel, anda cover whichoverlies the side and rear faces of the heel and has portions of itsforward margins secured within said recesses and other portions of itsforward edges of the heel.

1 That improvement in methods of covering heels which comprises formingin the lateral margins of the breast of a wood heel a plurality ofshallow recesses which are spaced from each other and intersectcorresponding sides of the heel, applying a cover to the rear and sidefaces of the heel and securing the forward projecting margins of thecover within the recesses and to the lateral margins of the heel breast,and trimming the portions of the cover engaging the breast of the heelflush with corresponding breast edges of the heel but leaving theportions of the cover secured within said recesses connected to thecover upon the side faces of the heel.

5. A heel having in the margin of its attaching face a plurality ofshallow cover-receiving recesses which are spaced circumferentially ofthe attaching face and terminate at therim of said face.

6- A heel having in the'margin of its attaching face a plurality ofspaced recesses, the outer ends of which terminate at the rim of saidface, and a cover which overlies the rear andside faces of the heel andhas portions of its top margin secured within the recesses and otherportions of 1

